All of our ESL classes, at all levels, are designed to develop the skills that are necessary for the successful completion of the TOEFL examination. The most intensive TOEFL preparation is provided at the fourth (college preparatory) level of the program where students take the following courses:

• ESL 400 TOEFL Preparation
• ESL 401 College Preparation Skills
• ESL 462 College Prep Listening and Speaking
• ESL 482 College Prep Reading and Writing
• 2 elective courses (during the spring and fall semesters)

ESL 400: TOEFL Preparation
Students will learn effective test-taking strategies and extensively practice completing all types of exercises found on the TOEFL iBT.

ESL 401: College Preparation Skills
The purpose of the course is to aid students in understanding and adapting to the social and educational systems in the USA and to help them develop strong study and research skills. In particular, this course focuses on some of the basic principles of structuring a research paper, citing sources consistently, accurately, and with proper formatting (MLA style); taking effective lecture notes; and preparing and delivering formal presentations on academic subjects.

ESL 462: College Prep Speaking and Listening
This course prepares higher-level students for the demands of college-level academic listening and speaking tasks such as comprehending and analyzing academic discourse, participating appropriately in small group discussions, presenting oral summaries, and giving short structured presentations on academic topics. The course incorporates an accent-reduction component that focuses on helping students speak clearly and with appropriate intonation patterns.

ESL 482: College Prep Reading and Writing
In this course, students receive thorough grounding in the conventions and structure of North American academic writing as well as extensive exposure to college-level academic reading material. The writing component of this course includes a review of paragraph structure and focuses on formal essays that incorporate information from a variety of sources. The course includes a review of effective strategies for understanding unfamiliar academic vocabulary, a review of punctuation rules, and a remedial needs-based review of high-level grammatical constructions.

Elective courses
We offer a variety of elective courses that appeal to a broad range of interests. Course selections vary from semester to semester and may include studies in current events, journalism, business English, vocabulary development, and American culture. For students interested in TOEFL preparation, we especially recommend ESL 394: Vocabulary II, a course that focuses on academic vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. Click here for detailed course descriptions.